Escape the Mundane with These 18 Incredible Adventure Vacations
Extreme Cycling in Italy’s Dolomites
Italia Outdoors Food and Wine offers a fantastic tour for extreme cyclists: the Agony and Ecstasy Bike Tour, which is just what it sounds like. Its most extreme cycle tour has been called an adventure of a lifetime, with the itinerary including some of the most difficult climbs in the Italian Dolomites, which are well-known for their vertical walls and sheer cliffs, situated in the Northern Italian Alps.
This is for the experienced, serious cyclist who is seeking a major challenge through demanding terrain, though the reward is just as big with some of the most amazing scenery on the planet. The mouthwatering homemade meals are paired with local wine to fuel you for the next day’s adventure.
Hike the Great Wall
Visiting the Great Wall of China is often disappointing — if you only stick to the most heavily traveled path, that is. If you want to really experience it with an off-the-beaten-path kind of adventure, this is your opportunity. The Jiankou Great Wall Hike not only provides access to the restored area where most people tend to congregate, but many isolated, virtually untouched spots too.
It requires a bit of a tough constitution, and a good walking stick, but it’s well worth the effort to take it all in without countless other tourists. The two-day trek, offered by WildGreatWall Adventure Tours, includes camping overnight and enjoying a magnificent sunrise and sunset right on the old wall.
Safaris can get hot and dirty, so wearing and bringing the right items is important. Here's everything you'll need on your safari packing list.
Learn to Sail in The Grenadines
If you’ve always wanted to learn to sail, there are few better places than the dazzling Caribbean, and The Grenadines are particularly spectacular. Barefoot Offshore Sailing School is one of the longest running and most lauded sailing schools. It’s owned and run by yachtsmen, one of whom is a former America’s Cup sailor whose family has lived here in St Vincent & The Grenadines for many generations.
The Sailing School offers a one-week Learn-N-Cruise course, the live aboard cruise providing students with a hands-on learning experience while exploring the breathtaking Grenadine Islands. By the time the course is completed, you’ll not only have experienced one of life’s most incredible adventures, but you’ll earn your ASA Bareboat Chartering certification that allows you to charter your own sailboat (up to 40 feet) anywhere in the world.
